Controlling-bridle for horses



mo Moder.

W. A. LEWIS.

CONTROLLING BRIDLE FOR'HDRSES.

No. 515,593. Patented Feb. 27, 1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT WILLIAM A. LEWIS, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

CONTROLLING-BRIDLE FOR HORSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,593, dated February 27, 1894.

Application iiled September 25, 1893- $erial No. $86,411. (No model.)

To 00% whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at O0- lumbus, Franklin county, Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Controlling- Bridles for Horses, &c., of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to bridles for horses: its object being to produce a bridle for controlling high spirited or vicious animals, and particularly restless, indifierent, or callousmouthed-animals imperfectly broken to the ordinary mouth-bit.

To this end it consists in a bridle embodying, in combination, a head-stall adjusted to the head, and secured under the neck; a chinclamp, and lead ropes or reins secured to the head stall and passing through the mouth of the animal and engaging the chin-clamp in such a manner as to serve as a mouth-bit: whereby any pull upon the reins-either by the act of the animal in throwing up the head contrary to the tension of the reins, or by the act of the driver directly,produ'oes a tightening of the chin-clamp at the rear of the un der-jaw,-giving a powerful and certain control of the animal without injury.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanyin g drawings exhibiti'ngin Figure 1, a front perspective elevation of my controlling bridle; Fig. 2, a perspective side elevation: Fig.

8, an enlarged perspective view of the chineiamp detached: showing construction: and

Fig. 4, a side elevation showing the action of the bridle in use.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings,-A, designates the head-stall or crown piece, of my improved bridle: a, the forehead strap or browband and, a, the neck-strap or throat-latch. These parts are constructed and arranged as in ordinary bridles, and require no further description. In lieu however of the ordinary bit, the ends of the head-stall are attached to a chinclamp, B, constructed as follows:

The chin-clamp consists of a substantially semi-circular bar, b, provided with an offset parallel guide bar,b', forming a guide loop at rear of the midportion or bight of the arc:

and terminating at the front in cheek-pieces, b extending in parallel relations downwardly perpendicular to the general plane of the bar, I). The cheek-pieces, b terminate below in circular loops, b and are provided exterior-1y with rectangular loops, b and an intervening stud, b projecting outward from the face of the cheek-piece, for engagement of the headstall, A, adjustably, as provided by the series of apertures,z,iu the latterfor engaging over the stud. The loops, 19 being thus located below the general plane of the curved bar, I), it will beseen that (the latter being suspended horizontally at its cheek pieces by the headstall) a forward or backward pull upon the loops, b will cause the rear portion or bight of the curved bar to traverse a vertical arc of which the cheek-pieces are at the pivotal center.

At each of the inner sides of the headstall,

A, is attached one end of a lead-rein, R,- which passes thence downward through the guide aperture formed by the guide bar, b, and crosses over and out through the opposite loop, b of the chin-clamp. The reins, R,- which may be a single continuous strap or rope-are preferably attached to the head stall by a section or elastic band, r. The bridle is placed over and secured to the animal in the usual manner, and the chin-clamp, B, adjusted so that the bar, 1), lies behind and against the under jaw of the horse,in such relation that the reins, passed downward and through the opposite loops of the chin-clamp, pass first in opposite directions through the mouth of the animal in the place ordinarily occupied by a bit.

' The action of the bridle will be understood from Fig. 4 wherein it will be seen that upon pulling the bridle reins, and taking up the slack; the angle of the reins in passing through the rear guide and through the lower loops, causes the curved bar, 17, of the chin clamp to tilt upward in relation to the cheekpieces as centers of oscillation and bear against the rear'side of the under jaw; while the reins complete the circle around saidjaw through the mouth and thus produce a pow erfnl compression (like that of a ligature) causing more or less temporary pain without permanent injury. By shortening the headstall attachment of the cheek-pieces, b the reins are made to hear more directly inward in the mouth against the angle of the lips, and the action of the bridle is made thereby more severe; but generally, it is sufficient to make the adjustment so low down as to avoid all danger of cutting or abrading the lips, and rely entirely on the clamping action upon the jaw. In either case the elastic connections, 0-, modify the direct action of the device and avoid all injury. I

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. The improved bridle, embodyingin combination a head-stall; a chin-clamp attached thereto and encircling the rear of the lower jaw: and lead reins attachedto the head-stall and crossing downward through a guide at the rear of the chin-clamp and outward and through opposite lower loops at the ends of the chin-clamp substantially as set forth.

2. In a controlling bridle, a metal chin- 2o witnesses.

WILLIAM A. LEWIS. Witnesses:

C. E. CRIIOHFIELD', F. O. LEVERING. 

